Christmas was a quiet affair when I was growing up．There were just my parents and 1 ．I wished that someday I'd 2 and have six children, and at 3 my house would be full of 4 and love．
I found the 5 who shared my dream, but we had not 6 the possibility of infertility(不能生育)．So we asked for adoption(收养)and, within a year, he arrived．We called him our Christmas boy because he came to us during that season of joy, 7 he was just six days old．Then nature 8 us again．Within two years we 9 two biological children to the family－not as many as we had hoped for, 10 compared with quiet childhood, three made an entirely satisfactory 11 ．
12 our Christmas boy grew, he made it clear that only he had the special skill to select and decorate(装饰)the Christmas 13 each year．He started his Christmas gift list 14 before we'd finished the Thanksgiving turkey．He encouraged us to sing songs, using our froglike 15 comparing with his musical gift of perfect voice．
Our friends thought that adopted children were not the same and they were right．Our Christmas boy brought 16 into our lives with his good cheer, his wit(智慧)．He made us 17 and act better than we were．
Then on his 26th Christmas, he left us as 18 as he had come．He was killed in a car accident on an icy Denver street, on his way home to his young wife and daughter．But first he had 19 by our home to decorate our tree, as usual．His father and I sold our home, where memories remained in every room．We moved to California, leaving 20 our friends and church．
As my wife greeted me one evening, her voice came through the door,“Guess what?”
I always take a deep 1 on this very leading question．“What?”I asked．
“I just won a sales contest at work and the 2 is dinner for two at the new fancy restaurant down by the river-front!”
She was so 3 ．We knew the restaurant was extremely good．“See?I told you there would be a 4 for me to wear my new spring outfit,”she shyly reminded me．
“ 5 can play at that game,”I responded．“I will wear my gray suit, my Borsalino imported straw hat and a new silk tie．We will be well 6 ．”
It was early 7 and nearing dusk as the waiter took us to a table by a window, with a(n) 8 of the river．And the table was 9 set, with a smoke-gray tablecloth and bright colored napkins．
A delicious meal 10 in such an atmosphere should be remembered a long time．As it 11 , this will probably never be forgotten．
As the shadows lengthened, the 12 rocking by the riverbank, I murmured,“Why not take a walk?”
Hand in hand, we walked by the stores．People smiled and nodded．“I 13 realized there were so many 14 people as we have seen this evening, dear,”I observed．
“Probably your new straw hat or your 15 ,”she said．
After receiving many smiles, we 16 ourselves back at the restaurant, looking at ourselves in the 17 ．It was then that I saw the 18 for all the smiles．
Caught in the fly of my trousers and 19 down for all to see was a bright red 20 from the restaurant!
When I was a little girl, every Sunday my family of six would put on our best clothes and go to Sunday School and then church．The 1 in elementary school would all meet together to sing songs, and then later divide into 2 based on their ages．
One Easter Sunday, all the kids 3 with big eyes and big 4 about what the Easter Bunny(复活节小兔)had brought． 5 all of the kids shared their stories with 6 , one young boy , whom I shall call Bobby, sat 7 ．One of the teachers , noticing this, said to him, “And what did the Easter Bunny 8 you?”He replied, “My mom 9 the door by accident so the Easter Bunny couldn't get 10 because he hadn't got a key．”
This sounded like a 11 idea to all of us kids, so we kept on going with the stories．My mom knew the true story, 12 ．Bobby's mom was a single parent , and she suspected(怀疑)that they just couldn't 13 the Easter Bunny．
After Sunday School was over, everyone went off to 14 ．But my mom announced that we were going home 15 ．At home, she explained that to make Bobby feel 16 , we were going to pretend(假装)to be the Easter Bunny , make a basket of our candies for him and 17 it at church．We all donated(捐赠)some to the basket, and 18 back to church．There, mom hung the basket over the hanger(挂钩)and attached(附上)a(n) 19 ：
Dear Bobby,
I'm sorry I 20 your house last night．Happy Easter．
